Marianne Faithfull Movies

Photographer and filmmaker Bruce Weber has often made his enthusiasms and obsessions a part of his work, and he introduces the world to several of the great loves of his life -- his dogs -- in this feature-length documentary. A Letter to True takes the form of an open letter to True, Weber's Golden Retriever, in which he discusses why he loves True and his other dogs, allowing some of his friends to share their own feelings about their pets. Along the way, Weber also writes about how he was impacted by the attacks of September 11, 2001, his admiration for the late photojournalist Larry Burrows, and how he became involved using his talents to aid Haitian refugees. Weber's relationship with his dogs, however, remains the film's focal point and he includes narration from Julie Christie and vocals from Marianne Faithful to accompany his footage of canines in their element. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

Life continues apace for Edina (Jennifer Saunders), Patsy (Joanna Lumley), and Saffron (Julia Sawalha). Eddy has adopted a dolphin as both house pet and PR client; Pats has moved out of Odd Bins to make room for a new liquor aisle; and Saffy has finally found a boyfriend -- the wealthy, condescending Paolo Carlo (Tom Hollander). Mother (June Whitfield), meanwhile, has taken up with a cadre of in-your-face, elderly "snowbirds," while Bubble (Jane Horrocks) is out of the picture, busy with her new job at French Vogue. Pats and Eddy decide to vacation in Val d'sere, which, as with their earlier vacations in Absolutely Fabulous: France and Absolutely Fabulous: Morocco, turns out to be less welcoming than they'd hoped. While Pats takes up with a hunky ski instructor, Eddy has a near-death experience out on the slopes in which God appears to her in the form of Marianne Faithfull. Convinced she has been spared for some larger purpose, Eddy returns home to find that her mother's new friends have taken up residence in their camper van in the front drive. A more pressing concern arrives in the form of Saffy's engagement to Paolo; a meeting between the Monsoon clan and the mega-rich Carlo family goes poorly at first, but when Patsy realizes that Paolo's mother, Kalishia (Carmen Du Sautoy), is actually a former B-movie bimbo, the fearful society matron finds herself de-fanged. Soon life is a blur of wedding preparations, from fittings at Christian Lacroix's designer boutique to involuntary depilatory sessions forced on the hapless bride-to-be. The action climaxes at the ceremony itself, where the guests include a who's who of previous "AbFab" guest stars. Absolutely Fabulous: The Last Shout was originally broadcast as a two-part TV movie on BBC 1 in 1996, a year after the end of the third "AbFab" series. It would be the last installment until series four began in 2001. Former Shakespear's Sister member Marcella Detroit appears as God's angelic sidekick; the singer also contributed several songs to the soundtrack, including a new rendition of the show's unmistakable theme music, "This Wheel's on Fire." Nickey Clarke, Suzy Menkes, Bruce Oldfield, Christopher Biggins, and Lacroix appear as themselves. ~ Brian J. Dillard, All Movie Guide

Laslo Benedek's adaptation of the Alan Caillou suspense novel never received a Greek theatrical release, despite its being shot entirely in Greece and co-produced (with the British Nine Network) by its Greek star, Nico Minardos. The film tells the tale of a World War II guerrilla leader named Agathon (Yiorgos Moussou), long believed to be dead, who has resurfaced to plot a revolution in the Balkans. Minardos plays Cabot Cain, an Interpol agent who travels to Greece in order to discover Agathon's lair and prevent the uprising. The film employed a demented set of casting decisions which put everyone from Nina Van Pallandt and John Woodvine to Marianne Faithfull and Kostas Baladimas into the fray, and resembles such international misfires as Jungle Warriors (which also featured Van Pallandt) more than the big-budget mainstream actioner which it was obviously intended to be. ~ Robert Firsching, All Movie Guide

In 1965, filmmaker D.A. Pennebaker accompanied Bob Dylan to England to make a film about the singer/songwriter's British tour. At the time, no one could have known how fortuitous Pennebaker's timing would prove to be. Within a few months of this tour, Dylan would forsake his role as The Conscience of Folk Music to pick up a Fender Stratocaster and play rock and roll. Within a year, Dylan would suffer a motorcycle accident that would put him out of commission for nearly 18 months. Recording several brilliant solo performances and capturing a wealth of fly-on-the-wall footage of Dylan's interactions with friends and strangers, Pennebaker caught Dylan on the cusp of a radical career change, and the man in this film seems to be thrashing about in his shackles, looking for some sort of escape route. ~ Mark Deming, All Movie Guide

This documentary by filmmaker Maria Beatty explores the lives, careers, and creative inspirations of the beat poets, forging insight into the minds of such artists as Gregory Corso, Marianne Faithfull, Richard Hell, Allen Ginsberg, Lydia Lunch and Henry Rollins. ~ Cammila Albertson, All Movie Guide

The imprisoning aspects of Success are humorously analyzed in this British-made film. Oliver Reed plays a wealthy advertising man who feels he has sold his soul and wishes to return to his happier earlier existence as a poor but swinging Londoner. Reed is goaded on by his boss, Orson Welles, who represents all the mercenary crassness that Reed despises. Handed a crucial commercial account, Reed plans to destroy himself by producing as offensive and confusing an ad campaign as possible. But Welles and the client are delighted by the "insult," and the disgruntled Reed is more successful than ever. Directed in the fragmentary "psychedelic" style typical of the late 1960s, I'll Never Forget What's'is Name gained notoriety upon its initial release by being the first mainstream British film in which the "F" word was spoken on-screen. ~ Hal Erickson, All Movie Guide

Legendary rocker Marianne Faithfull (of "As Tears Go By" and Broken English fame) stars in director Sam Garbarski's gently observed comedy drama Irina Palm (2007). She portrays Maggie, a working-class fiftysomething increasingly desperate to cover the cost of her ailing grandson's (Corey Burke) operation. When denied one loan and prospective job after another, a hopeless Maggie plunges headfirst into the underground skin trade of Soho London and prostitutes herself, under the aegis of new boss Miki (Miki Manojlovic). Equipped with a new name, "Irina Palm," Maggie begins working customers with a stimulatory technique so popular that patrons are soon lining up around the corner to be "serviced" by her. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide

Lucifer is depicted as a fallen favorite of God. ~ All Movie Guide

McFadden (Murray Melvin) invites two old college acquaintences to a large Victorian mansion in the country, ostensibly for a weekend of game hunting. Duller (Vivian Mackerell) is sullen and rude, though an excellent shot. Talbot (Larry Dan) is easygoing but puzzled as to why he was asked along, especially when his companions continually ridicule and abuse him. Things get even more curious when Talbot begins having strange hallucinations; he finds himself transported back into time, bearing witness to the trials and tribulations of a young woman (Marianne Faithfull) who once resided in the house. Finally, McFadden admits that he invited Talbot and Duller to the mansion because there are rumors that it is haunted, and he chose them both as likely subjects to draw any spirits out into the open. As the visions become more frequent and detailed, Talbot is thrust into a strange supernatural realm of incest, arson and madness that may be impossible to escape from. ~ Fred Beldin, All Movie Guide

The concert film Marianne Faithfull: Live in Hollywood at the Henry Fonda Theater captures the singer performing eighteen songs including the Rolling Stones' "As Tears Go By," and "Sister Morphine," as well as "Working Class Hero," "She," and "Ballad of Lucy Jordan." ~ Perry Seibert, All Movie Guide

Marilyn Jordan (Susan Anspach), an American-born housewife, mother, and socialite living in Sweden, is crumbling under the weight of her own existence. She deeply resents her husband Martin's (Erland Josephson) frequent holiday absences and his indifferent attitude toward their two children ("If they are going to grow up in today's world," he admits, "it's about time they faced the fact that nobody keeps promises anymore"). Moreover, Marilyn's eccentric father (who believes he is Buffalo Bill and fires off guns in the house to prove it) and her children -- who hatch an outrageous plan to set up a dating service for senior citizens -- start to drive her completely around the bend. Marilyn feels herself domestically imprisoned -- encased in a bell jar. Her subsequent behavior grows not simply eccentric, but irrational and then comically outrageous. She cooks wiener schnitzel for the entire family, but eats it all herself; unsuccessfully attempts to poison the family beagle; and -- convinced that insects are attacking her during the night -- showers the plant above her bed with bug repellent, much to Martin's consternation. Finally, irritated by Martin's sexual indifference to her, Marilyn manages to get his attention in a last, desperate move by setting his bed on fire late one night. Deeply concerned, Martin consults psychologist Dr. Pazardjian (Per Oscarsson), who does little to help Marilyn and (indeed) turns out to be even nuttier than any of the members of the Jordan family. Via a comic security mix-up, Marilyn later becomes stranded at the Stockholm airport and hitches a ride with a band of horny Yugoslavian immigrants celebrating the new year; they take her to their ZanziBar nightclub for a couple of days, where she begins to break out of her domestic prison by engaging in a torrid extramarital affair with randy Slavic zookeeper Montenegro and by performing as a one-time chaunteuse on-stage. Eventually, Marilyn's family beckons for her to return -- but her brush with independence has made her a very different woman, indeed. Montenegro marked controversial writer/director Dusan Makavejev's English-language debut, and earned widespread critical raves for Anspach's career-defining performance. ~ Nathan Southern, All Movie Guide